The Quintessential Quintet

P.D. Kelley

The Dave Bromberg Quintet can do it all. On Tuesday, October 2nd, the Rogue crowd heard blues, bluegrass, western swing, folk, country, classic pop ballads plus a little gospel. And it was just grand! Bromberg himself is a versatile musician: if it has strings he can play it. At 73 his picking doesn’t appear to have slowed down. His voice warbles at times but is true in tone and, man, is he sassy. He bantered with the audience for the entire show and sang lyrics that had us all chortling. “I’ll Take You Back” is a blues tune that starts out with the classic she done me wrong scenario and then Bromberg ramped things up. “I’ll take you back” he sang slyly, “when snakes have knees and money grows on trees. I’ll take you back when the preachers on TV send money to me. I’ll take you back when igloos have steam heating and Donald Trump stops tweeting.” And like that for about ten more couplets. This night he switched back and forth from acoustic to electric guitar and it was obvious he was having as much fun as his audience. Early on he said he was impressed with the Rogue Theatre and that he was happy to be on tour with the best band he’s ever had. Mark Cosgrove on guitar and mandolin was the acknowledged master, better than Bromberg, said Bromberg. He also played both acoustic and electric and held the crowd in thrall during a marvelous solo when he owned the stage all by himself. Suavek Zanisienko stayed on his electric bass and was masterful without being flashy. The surprise was his superb vocals in a high tenor that was startlingly clear and pure. Josh Kanusky on drums was also impressive but Nate Grower on fiddle was simply stunning and made his instrument soar. All his band mates watched him in awe when his playing was featured. The band mixed it up, gathering together in an intimate circle with Kanusky playing just one snare, for a sweet rendition of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.” There might have been some dry eyes in the house but mine weren’t and the crowd sang along just because it felt right to do so. As part of an encore, all five did an acapella version of “It’s Me Oh Lord (Standing in the Need of Prayer)”. After the concert I heard so many positive comments, mostly that it was one of the best shows folks had been to in a long time and I agree. It was just like a perfect meal: not too little, not too much, some of this, some of that and we all left the table pleasantly full. Dave and Company, we’ll take you back when flowers smell sweet and we need another treat.

Catch you on the flip side…

Johnny’s Back

P.D. Kelley

How lucky are Rogue Theatre audiences to get to see Jonny Lang twice in nine months? I always say we have the most enthusiastic fans and one of the favorites is Lang. The crowd at this sold out performance showed him some love on September 1st. This time around he seemed truly stunned by the wild reception and he thanked everyone several times for “coming out tonight” followed by that infectious grin, just before he launched into another incredible number. There were some blues tunes but not so much as last time, plus the jazz, the R & B, the gospel and the rock. He and his band are nothing if not versatile and I say again that this performance still falls into one of the best I’ve experienced. Zane Carney playing lead and rhythm guitar seems to be Lang’s touchstone as they are old friends and Carney is a splendid musician. Like last time, Carney opened for Lang and once again demonstrated his musical proficiency. He also has a charming stage presence and some funny patter that gets the crowd laughing. He did some jamming with Charles Jones, a truly gifted keyboardist who apparently is on temporary loan to the band. Carney has played with many famous folks to include U2 and he and Jones had some fun with I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. Barry Alexander was still on drums and still stellar. Jimmy Anton reprised his soulful bass chops and when all these mates took their final bow, I could feel the connection among them. They seem to love as well as respect each other, as people and as musicians. Lang, as always, showed his appreciation for his band and extorted the crowd to “give it up” for each one. The final encore number was, as in December, Lie to Me, first slow and soulful, then at blazing tempo meant to rock the house and it did. What was different was just before this, Lang came out on stage solo with just an acoustic guitar and sang a couple numbers to include Breaking Me. If you’ve heard this song, you know his tone is true but the voice is so compelling he sounds like he’s near an emotional collapse. I’ll bet there wasn’t a woman in the house who wasn’t moaning just a little with him. Good-looking men who are suffering are almost irresistible. Last time I said that seeing Jonny Lang live in concert should be on your “Ten things I need to do before I leave the planet” list. Make that five.

Catch you on the flip side…

Smooth Vibes from Mr. 335

P.D. Kelley

On the Indian Summer evening of September 25th I and my fellow fans got to listen to one of the great jazz guitarists, Larry Carlton. As a studio musician of many years, associated with Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell, to name but a few, and a former member of The Crusaders and Fourplay, Carlton can do it all from fusion jazz to soul and rock. Just name it, he’s played it. The first set of the show was mostly fusion jazz with other elements to be sure, but these were longer numbers and featured outstanding performances by his band: son Travis Carlton on bass showed that DNA will tell; keyboardist Mark Stephens was inspired; Gary Novak on drums put on a clinic as to the intricacies of a jazz beat, and Bob Reynolds on tenor sax took things to a rich and bold level. Carlton, playing his Gibson ES 335, made everything seem effortless. His musicianship was a marvel and it is clear why he is a four time Grammy winner. The second set was just as entertaining and Carlton played some crowd favorites to include Steely Dan’s “Josie” and The Doobie Brothers “Minute by Minute”, the theme from Hillstreet Blues as well as a few oldies but goodies from his Crusader days. Of course his signature tune, “Room 335”, brought some juice to the room as well as a soulful rendition of Michael Jackson’s “She’s Out of My Life”. The Rogue crowd, as always, showed their appreciation with a boisterous outcry for an encore and Carlton and company obliged with their version of Santo and Johnny’s “Sleepwalk”. A reviewer writing about a show Carlton did last month thought the encore should have been more up tempo. I disagree and anyone from my generation who remembers slow dancing in the gym to this gorgeous number knows that it is a very sweet way to end the night.

Catch you on the flip side…

Oregon’s Favorite Band

P. D. Kelley

I have never been to a Floater concert and I finally got the opportunity to see what some call one of the best ever alternative rock bands last Friday, September 28th. They have been to the Rogue a number of times and seem to have a wildly devoted fan base here in the Northwest. They actually have been voted Oregon’s Favorite Band and were inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame last year. I was sitting between two Floater fans, one my guest for the evening and another who informed me somewhat feverishly that he had been following the band since its 25 year inception and had seen them in concert more than 30 times. He was typical of the crowd that evening: enthusiastic, boisterous but not out of hand and fun to watch. Even the mosh pit wasn’t as wild as I’ve seen elsewhere. Just lots of hopping and bopping with an occasional body slam, but folks were mostly focused on the musicians on stage. Rob Wynia on bass was a tall, commanding presence and he provided the only vocals. He has a perfect voice for a rocker, alternating between raw energy shouts and strong but melodious singing. Oh, and he plays a mighty fine bass. Lead guitarist Dave Amador is not flashy but is a strong talent. He and Wynia have been playing together for a quarter century and it shows. Drummer Mark Powers replaced founding member Pete Cornett last year and he more than fills the bill. He’s got a great kit and he was a whirlwind this evening, providing a driving, hard hitting beat that had everyone on the move. It’s hard to put this group into one genre. Certainly they qualify for hard rock and roll but there seemed to be metal, grunge and psychedelic elements as well. I read, and my concert mates confirmed, that the group will often do one concert with electronic instruments (as it was this night) and the next concert will be all acoustic. I have a feeling I sampled only a bit of what Floater is capable of. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a problem with the sound and there was too much reverb on occasion. At times the lyrics were blurred although what ones I did hear were edgy, sometimes defiant, and mostly compelling. I definitely want to hear more from these guys so I plan to buy a CD, watch some YouTube, and be in the front row balcony when they come again. Catch you on the flip side…